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Topic: Special Snowflake Stories (Read 6646198 times)

This morning at work, I had a customer that called in that needed a service set up that my department also services. She had moved to us from another company. I explained the processes to her and what we can do to help her, but there were a few things she was required to do to make all stuff work right here. She was not happy when I explained things to her then she puts her boss on the phone who immediately screams into the phone "Its not acceptable!!!". The customers then transferred their sales person on the line, I explain what I can do, and that the customer must do items A, B, and C themselves as we cannot do so. Both customers still were irate and insistent that my group do ALL of the work they had to do themselves. The salesperson contacts me and the person who processed the service request back a few times then the processor of the request had a doozy of a time with the Snowflakes when he called them several times, and even went out of his way (which he can do if he wishes, but does not have to do so) to get the customer side items processed.

At least the salesperson sent an email later after all was done, and copied our respective bosses on it (as me and the processor have different bosses) complimenting us for our work, appreciative of our help, and apologizing for the behavior of the Snowflake customers.

I was leaving work right at about 5 last night, and pulled up to pay to get out of the parking garage (it's underground). I was second in line, right behind two guys in a red truck. The management of the parking garage has just changed, and we have new folks in the kiosk, so getting out has been taking longer recently. So, I wasn't too surprised when it took a couple minutes for the guys to pay.

But then it went on. And on. And on. I ended up putting my car in park, because by that time there were at least 3 other cars behind me and there was no where for me to go. The line wrapped completely around the building. At one point, the woman in the kiosk got out and sort of feebly flapped her hands at the people in line, but you couldn't see the end of the line at that point, and there wasn't anywhere for anyone to go. I asked her what was going on, but got no answer.

After another 5 minutes, she finally just waved the guys in the red truck through. I asked what happened when I was paying and she said that they just refused to pay. With the number of people backed up behind them, there wasn't a thing she could do, so she ended up paying their fee out of her pocket.

The guys in the truck were laughing and looking smug, knowing that they had the parking lady in a bind.

They need a new policy for if that happens again... which it will because they have learned they can get away with it.

I would think the standard response would be, "OK, then, I'll call the cops and give them your license plate number."

Oddly enough, I had a chance to chat with the kiosk lady last night as I was leaving (I left a bit early, so no one behind me). The guys in the red truck work here, and park here every day. She was very offended when they said "good morning" to her that morning, and she ignored them.

I'm hoping they had some reason why they thought they didn't have to pay that day. The whole thing was odd.

Hmm. If they park there daily, maybe they have a monthly pass. At my garage, if you forget your pass, you can sign the back of your ticket and give your employee number (it's a public garage but our company reserves so many spaces), and not have to pay.I'm wondering if it was that kind of situation, and the new parking lady didn't know the situation. I generally don't carry cash on me, so if I'd been caught in the exit lane when I forgot my pass, with someone who didn't know about the sign the ticket thing, I'd have pretty much had no way to pay either.

Even if that was the situation, the solution is not to hold all the other people hostage until you were allowed to park for free. Go and find a bank, and get some cash, then return.

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My cousin's memoir of love and loneliness while raising a child with multiple disabilities will be out on Amazon soon! Know the Night, by Maria Mutch, has been called "full of hope, light, and companionship for surviving the small hours of the night."

On disliking flash mobs: I figure that, unless I'm on my way to the Emergency Department, I can afford a few minutes in order for there to be a little more beauty in the world. My personal convenience isn't the only thing that matters.

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Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bow lines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.

On disliking flash mobs: I figure that, unless I'm on my way to the Emergency Department, I can afford a few minutes in order for there to be a little more beauty in the world. My personal convenience isn't the only thing that matters.

One person's beauty is another person's reason they got fired for lateness, or just had a much longer commute because they couldn't make their train. I don't think that it's necessary for a flash mob to interfere with people who have placed to go and things to do.

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My cousin's memoir of love and loneliness while raising a child with multiple disabilities will be out on Amazon soon! Know the Night, by Maria Mutch, has been called "full of hope, light, and companionship for surviving the small hours of the night."

On disliking flash mobs: I figure that, unless I'm on my way to the Emergency Department, I can afford a few minutes in order for there to be a little more beauty in the world. My personal convenience isn't the only thing that matters.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I don't care that much one way or the other about flash mobs, but I really hate the argument that if someone doesn't like them, it's because they don't take the time to appreciate the finer things in life and/or need to lighten up. It's condescending.

I saw a rampaging SS of the parking persuasion today. I do my workouts at the Y and they have a HUGE parking lot. The only time I have seen it full is when there is a huge swim meet. Today the Special Snowflake had parked their pickup truck up on the grass at the end of the row of spaced. They had backed up over a curb and between two trees in order to park there. Yes, we have some snow on the ground but the curb is plainly visible, and is painted red for a fire lane as well. Also, since we are having a thaw, the ground is very soft and they left huge deep ruts in the grass.

Bonus points, I think that they had tried it on the other end of the row as well, but just couldn't fit their truck between the trees. My guess is based on the wide, 6 foot long tire ruts in the grass on THAT side as well. All to save them from having to walk an extra 50 - 100 feet....when they are going to the gym.

I did report them at the front desk. I sincerely hope that they get hit with a monster fine.

On disliking flash mobs: I figure that, unless I'm on my way to the Emergency Department, I can afford a few minutes in order for there to be a little more beauty in the world. My personal convenience isn't the only thing that matters.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I don't care that much one way or the other about flash mobs, but I really hate the argument that if someone doesn't like them, it's because they don't take the time to appreciate the finer things in life and/or need to lighten up. It's condescending.

A bit on the side of taking time to appreciate the finer things, that's what I tell myself and others when it's mentioned. Like the time a famous Y-instrument player played in a train station, for free, and 5 people stopped to listen, even tho he's really successfull and really well paid.Well, it's a train station! people are rushing from or to, don't want to be late, are on a schedule. So unless you get there really early, are waiting for someone or have time to spare you just can't wait.

On disliking flash mobs: I figure that, unless I'm on my way to the Emergency Department, I can afford a few minutes in order for there to be a little more beauty in the world. My personal convenience isn't the only thing that matters.

One person's beauty is another person's reason they got fired for lateness, or just had a much longer commute because they couldn't make their train. I don't think that it's necessary for a flash mob to interfere with people who have placed to go and things to do.

If your schedule is so tight that a 5-10 minute delay will get you fired, then there's something wrong that has nothing to do with a flash mob. Would you get fired if there was an accident on the highway that caused a 5-10 minute delay? Sorry, but the "I could get fired" is a red herring. Nobody's life is so perfectly synchronized that the unexpected, whether a flash mob or a flash flood, doesn't happen.

Logged

Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bow lines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.

This morning, I was leaving my brother's place to come home after spending a couple of days for some work training. There were reports on the radio that the highway was closed but my brother thought it was in a spot that I could get around and get home. I knew as soon as I got out of the city that the roads would be fine. So I headed out. And pulled up to the police barricade not too far south of town. The guy in the truck in front of me was talking to the cop. I couldn't hear him but I could hear the cop. 'Does it look like I'm kidding?' And then in an angry voice, 'Turn around.' About 3 times. So I gather pick-up guy was trying to get the cop to let him go through the barricade.

So the cop wasn't very friendly to me when I asked him if there was any way I'd get to home city today.

Turns out, every provincial highway in and out of the city was closed due to flooding. It didn't get as warm as it was supposed to so the rain that fell couldn't work its way under the snow pack because the snow pack wasn't melting. They opened the highway at 12:30 and I made a break for it! With the predicted snow, I wouldn't have gotten home until Friday if I hadn't left when I did.

Logged

After cleaning out my Dad's house, I have this advice: If you haven't used it in a year, throw it out!!!!.

On disliking flash mobs: I figure that, unless I'm on my way to the Emergency Department, I can afford a few minutes in order for there to be a little more beauty in the world. My personal convenience isn't the only thing that matters.

One person's beauty is another person's reason they got fired for lateness, or just had a much longer commute because they couldn't make their train. I don't think that it's necessary for a flash mob to interfere with people who have placed to go and things to do.

If your schedule is so tight that a 5-10 minute delay will get you fired, then there's something wrong that has nothing to do with a flash mob. Would you get fired if there was an accident on the highway that caused a 5-10 minute delay? Sorry, but the "I could get fired" is a red herring. Nobody's life is so perfectly synchronized that the unexpected, whether a flash mob or a flash flood, doesn't happen.

I think that argument goes either way: it's people whose lives are well synchronized who are most likely to be able to spare 5-10 minutes to listen to a busker, or watch a hawk hunting in the park, and not mind being delayed by a flash mob. People who are over-scheduled, or have already run into one unexpected delay, are less likely to have the time to spare.

I try to build in some time for delays, but not an infinite amount, because I don't really want to spend all my free time on train platforms, in the gate areas of airport terminals, and the like. If I have a long delay getting through security, I may not have time to get a sandwich before boarding the plane. That's a risk I'm prepared to take, in part because I need to get through security; I need to get to the airport before doing so; and I very much want a cup of tea and a bite to eat before leaving for the airport. If other things go smoothly, then I have the spare time and can listen to a busker, if I like their performance; if not, I may run down the ramp to the platform and barely get onto the train before it pulls out.

Yes, it's a matter of priorities. I agree that someone else's medical emergency trumps most of the things in my life. Someone else's entertainment preferences don't. It is no more polite for a stranger to say "you can't get to your train until we finish this impromptu performance" than for them to insist that I entertain them with conversation on the train when I would rather read a novel.

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Any advice that requires the use of a time machine may safely be ignored.

I've encountered multiple buskers with crowds around them, and have actually run into tow flash mobs (dancers in NYC and a student acting group in toronto Union) - in both cases it was perfect possible to walk around them and the crowd with no more problem than walking around a standard train-offloading or rush-hour crowd. If they were blocking exits to the point of a "ten minute" delay, the true fault lies with security (or the lack of it) for not making sure that people could still come and go by clearing out the flash mob if necessary.

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My friends, love is better than anger. Hope is better than fear. Optimism is better than despair. So let us be loving, hopeful and optimistic. And we’ll change the world. ~ Jack Layton.

I think many of the flashmobs I have liked on line - are not completely unexpected. Many are publicity stunts for different art groups, I'm pretty sure they had permission from the site have the flashmob/performance. Most of Improv now ones are more flashmob (like no pants day), but the big ones that they do in NYC with thousands of people converging on a place and following instructions on MP3 players - I figure they clear it with someone.